Local

REAL ID will be required starting in 2025

SEATTLE — Residents will be required to have an Enhanced Driver License (EDL) or an Enhanced Identification Card (EID) beginning May 7, 2025, to be in compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005.

The extension on implementation of the REAL ID Act will be coming to an end in May 2025. The extension was granted in 2022 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EDL and EID will be the required form of identification to board domestic flights or enter federal facilities, according to the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL).

DOL will continue to issue standard driver licenses and identification cards but notes that they will no longer be valid forms of identification for domestic flights after the law takes effect.

In addition to the EDL and EID, other forms of identification that meet the REAL ID standards will continue to be accepted.